In the animal world of oddities and crazy facts - an endless amount. Today we will look at the defense mechanisms of animals and, as one would expect, we will find some rather strange (and sometimes simply disgusting) facts. From animals that will vomit all over your face to creatures that will literally knock you out with their scent, here are 25 animals with the strangest defense mechanisms imaginable.

25. Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish have amazing camouflage skills. These creatures have the ability to quickly change the color of their skin, allowing them to almost completely merge with any environment. They can even change their body shape to match the structure of their environment.

24. Texas Horned Lizard


The Texas horned lizard has one of the bloodiest self-defense mechanisms in the animal kingdom…literally. When it is in danger, the lizard squeezes the sinuses until the blood vessels in its eyes burst, shooting blood from its eyes at the attacker!

23. Motyxia sequoia


During the day, this species of centipede resembles any other species of centipede, but at night, when they feel threatened, they become bioluminescent in an attempt to scare away predators. However, if this fails, centipedes secrete toxic cyanide and foul-tasting chemicals from small pores located on the sides of their bodies.

22. Skunks


An animal that releases a foul-smelling substance from its anus at predators deserves to be on this list. The skunk has two glands that create a mixture chemical substances containing sulfur, characterized by an incredibly disgusting smell. The smell is so strong that it repels bears and can even cause temporary blindness.

21. Common Roller


The chicks of these colorful birds spew foul-smelling, liquid, orange vomit as a defense mechanism in case of danger.

20. Stick insects


As the name implies, stick insects look like sticks, but sometimes they can even look like leaves with mossy growths. But disguise is not the only defense of these animals. Some stick insects may also spray attackers with a defensive secretion that not only smells bad but also irritates the mouth and eyes.

19. Sea cucumbers


When threatened, the sea cucumber releases a sticky, poisonous toxin called holothurin. If that doesn't help, the sea cucumber will gut itself. This means that they will tighten their muscles very much until some of their organs come out through their anus. This misleads predators into thinking the sea cucumber is already dead.

18. Octopoteuthis deletron


Like most squids, the Octopoteuthis deletron is capable of secreting ink as a defense. But what makes this species unique is their ability to shed one of their tentacles in a process called autonomous tentacle. This not only minimizes tissue loss in the event of an attack, but also distracts the predator enough for the squid to flee.

17 Malaysian Exploding Ant


Malaysian exploding ants have large glands full of poison. When they sense danger, the ants tense their abdominal muscles, which explode the glands, from which a corrosive poison flies out.

16. Possum


Possums in danger fall into a comatose state that can last several hours - long enough for any predator to think the opossum is already dead. If that's not enough, opossums also excrete a foul-smelling green liquid.

15. Flying fish


Flying fish have an outstanding ability to fly or glide through the air for long distances to escape predators. To achieve this, the fish accelerates up to 60 kilometers per hour, thanks to which it can overcome the surface of the water. She then uses her large pectoral fins as wings, allowing the fish to fly. After it jumps out of the water, the fish can fly up to 200 meters.

14. Mixin


This ancient organism, which has existed for about 300 million years, secretes a disgusting, viscous substance when threatened. The substance mixes with water, expands and, if it enters the gills of fish, causes suffocation.

13. Colorado potato beetle


Colorado potato beetles have a hideous way of defense against predators. The larvae cover themselves in their own feces, which are poisonous and smell bad...bad enough to deter predators.

12 Boxer Crab


Don't let the charm of this defense mechanism fool you. sea ​​anemones attached to the claws of boxer crabs can be very dangerous... they can even kill some sea creatures.

11. Vulture Turkey


When turkey vultures feel threatened, they regurgitate the contents of their stomach (which is extremely disgusting... and let's not even talk about the smell). This allows the vulture to escape faster, as it becomes much lighter, in addition to the fact that the vomit with a disgusting smell will scare away the predator.

10 Japetella heathi octopus


Japetella heathi octopuses have evolved a defense mechanism that allows them to avoid two types of deadly predators - those who look for silhouettes from above, and those who use their own light to search for prey. In order not to create a silhouette, the octopus has become almost completely transparent. However, this makes it a good target for bioluminescent creatures. In order to avoid them, the octopus changes its color to red, greatly reducing the reflection. This effectively makes the octopus invisible to anglers and other fish with "lanterns".

9. Spiny newt


Spiny newts, found in the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, have an alarming self-defense mechanism. When in danger, the newt advances its ribs through the skin and uses them as a weapon. The protruding bones are covered with a poisonous substance that can kill a predator.

8 Hairy Frog


Imagine if in any danger your only defense was to break your bones and use them as a weapon? Meet the hairy frog, a species from central Africa that, despite its name and furry appearance, is not hairy at all. When breeding, male frogs are covered on the sides with thin strips of skin resembling hair. These bands also, in theory, allow the frogs to get more oxygen while they watch their eggs. But the most interesting thing about this frog is its ability to break its bones and push them through the skin to form sharp claws that are good at scaring off attacking predators.

While it's not entirely clear what happens to the bones after the danger has passed, the researchers believe that the bones are pulled back under the skin when the frog's muscles relax.

7. Bombardier beetle


If you disturb this beetle, you will get a very unpleasant surprise. Bombardier sprays predators with a hot, poisonous mixture of body fluids directly from the anus. To do this, the beetle stores hydroquinones, hydrogen peroxide and a mixture of catalysts that set off an explosive reaction that fires almost at boiling point.

6. Silly


As with the rollers, fulmar chicks vomit on their predators. A jet of bright orange vomit has the smell of rotten fish, which will linger on the victim for a long time, no matter how hard they try to get rid of the aroma.

5. Large pygmy sperm whale


As one of the smallest toothed whale species in the sperm whale family, the great pygmy sperm whale has an absurd (but effective) defense mechanism. When threatened, the whale releases an anal "syrup" into the water. The sperm whale then churns the water to create a giant poop cloud in which it can hide.

4. Wine hawk


When this caterpillar senses the presence of a predator, it changes its appearance to resemble a snake by inflating itself and using its spots to form fake eyes. Few predators want to mess with a snake.

3. African crested porcupine


Armed with long needles that can pierce internal organs predators, crested porcupines are an animal to avoid. In case of danger, the porcupine starts to run back or sideways to stick its needles into the predator. If they are chasing him, he suddenly stops, because of which the predator crashes into the needles with a run.

2. Sony


Adorable dormice have a very strange ability to elude a predator ... literally. The skin of the dormice's tail is very loosely attached and if a predator grabs the rodent by the tail, the skin peels off, allowing the dormice to escape. However, dormice do this only once in a lifetime, because after the skin is torn off, the remaining bone either bites off or falls off on its own.

1. Slow Loris


Slow lorises, as their name implies, are very slow moving creatures, making them vulnerable to predators. To cope with their lack of good speed, lorises have developed venom glands near their armpits. Lori covers her body and teeth with poison by rubbing her hands against these glands. As a result, the bite can cause anaphylactic shock in the predator.

Eagles love the meat of mountain goats, but are not able to defeat them in a fair fight. Therefore, they wait for the right moment and push the animals off the mountain ledges in a big way. When the victim is broken on the stones from below, the eagles descend and proceed to the meal.

The Dolomedes fisherman spider is perfectly harmless to humans, but among creatures of its size, it is a formidable predator. He runs on the surface of the water, periodically diving for prey. It can be not only an insect, but even a frog or a fish. The fisherman spider is capable of catching prey five times its own weight.

Killer whales are one of the most efficient predators on the planet. They hunt in packs and develop different strategies when hunting their prey. Killer whales catch fish, fur seals and even sharks, turning them on their backs and thereby paralyzing them.

The Pacific striped octopus has developed a unique method of hunting small prey. Normal octopuses simply wait in ambush and then pounce on the victim, but the Pacific octopus instead uses one of the tentacles to lightly poke the victim in the back. She swims away in horror in the opposite direction, where the rest of the tentacles are already waiting for her, and the whole octopus.

Ground beetle larvae of Epomis subspecies are extremely cunning and cruel hunters. The larvae look harmless enough to be eaten by a frog or toad. But as soon as the amphibian approaches, the larva clings to it with a death grip and begins to devour it alive - sometimes this happens already in the frog's mouth. Breaking free from this grip is almost impossible.

Spatter fish do not wait for insects to land on the surface of the water, but lower them there themselves. To do this, they, as the name implies, sprinkle water on them with amazing accuracy. The length of such a "spit" can be from one to two meters - depending on the size of the fish.

Some shrews are able to accumulate paralyzing venom in their saliva in order to render harmless small animals like mice. However, they do not kill the victim immediately, but eat it alive for several days, keeping the food fresh.

The Amazonian giant centipede has developed a way of hunting bats. She hides on the ceiling of a dark cave and waits until the prey flies past, and then clings to it and paralyzes it with poisonous "claws". The hunter and prey fall together to the floor of the cave, where the centipede can dine in peace.

Fish from the clown family hunt by beckoning the victim with a process on the head that resembles a worm. Attracted by the movements of the bait, small fish swim closer, and get straight into the ambush of a predator.

Mantis shrimp are famous not only for the best eyesight in the animal kingdom, but also for their impressive hunting skills. Some types of praying mantis shrimp attack with peculiar "club" paws, while others have "spear" paws. But in both cases, the blows of these arthropods are so fast and strong that large individuals can even break through the glass of an aquarium.

The effectiveness of the methods by which predators kill victims can often border on cruelty, because in nature there is no point in showing mercy. In front of you are ten brilliant hunters of the animal kingdom, who have eaten more than a dozen dogs in their work. Sometimes literally.

Small animals have many natural enemies from which you need to constantly hide and defend yourself. Exist different ways protection from predators. The main one is flight. In addition, animals are able to mimic, which makes them invisible in their habitat, hide inside shells or under a hard shell, increase in size at the moment of danger in order to frighten a predator. Small animals that do not have any of these protective properties solve the problem of survival and conservation of the species. in a simple way- They are multiplying.

hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are active from dusk to dawn: these small mammals have adapted to hunt at night. In addition, at night they are less dangerous - after all, during the day they can become the prey of numerous predators at any moment. The hedgehog escapes from his enemies in two ways: if possible, he takes flight, but if this is not possible, he curls up into a ball, hiding the soft parts of the body under a thick cover of sharp needles. In this form, adults are practically invulnerable, but babies, whose muscles are not yet sufficiently developed, cannot always resist the attack of a predator.

Octopuses and cuttlefish

The ancestors of octopuses and cuttlefish have competed with fish for maritime dominance for many millions of years. However, the long rivalry did not reveal the winner.

Agility, speed, sharp eyesight are the undeniable advantages of these mollusks. But cuttlefish have one more “weapon” in their arsenal: at the slightest danger, they throw dark ink into the water, which shelter them from enemies and mask their flight.

Sea Horse

The father takes care of the baby seahorses. The male carries the eggs of the embryos in his abdominal pouch until they are born. A large number of embryos maturing in the paternal pouch contributes to the preservation of the species.

common tree frog

Camouflage is the most effective means of protecting frogs. Some species of these amphibians are very poisonous, as indicated by bright coloring. Predators prefer to stay away from such tasty but poisonous prey.

Battleship

In the pampas, the steppe zone South America, there are very few natural shelters where armadillos could find shelter. The main means of protection of these animals is a strong shell. At the slightest danger, armadillos curl up into a ball covered with hard scales, which protects them like a shield.

sea ​​porcupine

Displaying hundreds of thorny spikes is a great defense strategy. The porcupine fish, when threatened, inflates and spreads the prickly spikes located on the surface of the skin. Taking the form of a prickly ball, it is protected from the gastronomic claims of predators.

spotted skunk

Skunks keep predators at bay by releasing a jet of foul-smelling liquid. In case of danger, the skunk first stands on its front paws, demonstrating its intentions. If the enemy does not move away, the skunk releases a fetid liquid that stops the enemy. Only large birds of prey dare to hunt skunks. They attack the critters from above before they have time to react.

Hyena

The work of hyenas begins where the work of large felines ends. Small groups of hyenas surround the remains, partially gnawed by predators, protecting them from the encroachments of jackals and vultures. The digestive system of hyenas allows them to digest the hardest parts of the remains, those that other carrion-eating animals do not eat.

Powerful jaws

Adult hyenas have extremely powerful jaws. They can crush bones with them to extract nutrients located in the bone marrow.

Jackal

This small predator lives in the same area as the hyena, so these two species of animals are in constant competition for food. In this competition, the jackal, cautious by nature, sticks to defensive tactics, not offensive ones. If necessary, jackals unite in packs, and then they can attack animals that are superior in size.

Tasmanian devil

The Tasmanian devil, living in the forests of Tasmania, is considered a ferocious predator, although in fact it feeds exclusively on carrion. This animal is very fearful and cautious. Its dark, loud cries can only be heard at night. Precisely because of this terrifying howling, he earned himself the fame of a bloodthirsty predator.

Insects

The remains of small animals can be processed not only by hyenas or vultures. Thousands of insects accumulate in the corpse, and a real feast begins. Some insects lay their eggs there, and already whole colonies of larvae complete the cycle of processing the remains.

Condor

These huge birds, whose wingspan reaches three meters, live high in the Andes, between Venezuela and Tierra del Fuego. They are very voracious and sweep up any carrion in their path. Sometimes, after a hearty meal, they are unable to rise into the air due to excess weight.

black vulture

Streams of warm air rising above the sun-warmed savannah help the vultures take off. Circling high in the sky, vultures explore the surface of the earth. Having noticed with their sharp eyesight the prey left by predators, they start their meal. After the feast of the vultures, little remains of the remains.

A meeting with a natural enemy usually ends in the death of an animal, therefore, in the process of evolution, only individuals with effective ways protection. How do animals protect themselves from enemies, what protective devices have they acquired in the struggle for survival?

Animals defend themselves in different ways. Some quickly run away, others skillfully hide or disguise themselves, others defend themselves. It all depends on the size of the animal, its lifestyle and the protection organs that Mother Nature has endowed it with. Below are the most interesting ways to protect.

How animals protect themselves by running away from enemies

The hare, running away, develops speed up to 70 km / h, but this is not a record. Saiga, gazelles and antelopes are able to run from danger at a speed of 80 km/h. Moreover, some animals are capable of making ultra-long jumps while running: for example, roe deer - up to six meters long, and impala antelope - up to 11 meters in length and up to 3 meters in height.

How animals protect themselves by hiding from enemies

A burrow is the most reliable shelter for an animal, but some animals, such as a fox or a beaver, “guessed” that it would be better if there were two exits from it, remote from each other. And the beaver has an entrance and exit to his "hut" generally under water.

The same applies to such seemingly open shelters as bird nests. So the cayenne swift builds a nest in the form of a tube. One hole in such a nest is a wide and noticeable, but dead-end “entrance” for “strangers”, and the second is a small and inconspicuous entrance for the swift itself.

How animals protect themselves by disguising themselves

The real masters of disguise are insects. So a praying mantis sitting on a bush or tree cannot be distinguished from a twig or a leaf even by the sharp eyes of birds. Some insects even imitate the vibration of plants from the wind with the movements of their body.

The color of the surface of the body of many animals coincides with the main colors of their usual habitat, it is, as they say, protective. It is for the purpose of camouflage that seasonal molt some animals living in the northern hemisphere, such as hares.

How do animals defend themselves by defending themselves?

Animals defend themselves with what they can: teeth, claws (wolves, cats, bears), horns, hooves (moose, deer), needles (hedgehogs, porcupines) and even tails (sea cat). But of particular interest are animals that use chemicals produced by their bodies to protect themselves.

An ordinary ladybug, when attacked or frightened, releases many droplets of an unpleasant-smelling bright yellow liquid called quinenone. Birds do not like the smell of quinenone, they take it for poison and, grabbing a ladybug, they immediately release it.

Southern bombardier beetles secrete a liquid during danger, which instantly evaporates in air with a slight “explosion”, forming a cloud. The beetle is able to do this “trick” several times in a row, and a series of such unexpected “explosions” very often scares off enemies.

Some types of cobras (spitting Indian, African black-necked and collared) defend themselves by sniping poison into the eyes of the enemy. Moreover, the black-necked cobra can do this operation up to twenty times in a row.

How does a skunk defend itself from enemies?

The legendary chemical defense animal is the North American skunk. Defensively, he turns his back to the attacker, raises his tail and waters the enemy with a very unpleasant-smelling secretion of the anal glands.

These secretions literally scare away the aggressor with their smell and, once on any surface, retain their smell for a very long time. For several months, North American motorists cannot wash cars that have fallen under the chemical attack of a skunk.

Some animals defend themselves from enemies by making a menacing appearance, leaving parts of their bodies in the paws of the attacker, or even pretending to be dead. There are many ways to protect, and their effectiveness may be evidenced by the fact that the representative of the fauna using them has not yet disappeared from the lists of the animal world of our planet.

Nature is wise and prudent. She does not disregard even the smallest bug and always gives any of her creatures a chance not to be on the “dining table” of a stronger, larger or treacherous neighbor.

We will talk about the six most disgusting, at first glance, methods of protection that our smaller brothers have successfully used for many centuries.

Dating back to the Paleozoic, this sleek, toothless fish has retained brutal primitive habits. Having felt a weakened fish at the bottom, the Pacific hagfish uses its tongue covered with keratinized teeth to eat the insides of the victim. She butchers a half-dead fish from the inside just like a real cook, deftly separating the meat from the bones with deft movements.

The Pacific hagfish is no less dodgy in case of danger. She has a trick in her arsenal that allows her to literally slip out of the jaws of a predator. Sensing something was wrong, hagfish secrete mucus from the skin, while simultaneously curling up into a knot. With this knot, she rests on the offender and, moving him along the body, richly smeared with mucus, breaks free.

Frightened hagfish secrete so much thick mucus that they often become obstacles for underwater equipment that simply cannot get through the viscous slurry. Having grown only 30 cm, the fish produces mucus that stretches for several miles.

However, these unpleasant qualities of hagfish do not prevent scientists from taking a closer look at the properties of the slime they produce. And the day may not be far off when clothes made from this durable, stretchy, silk-smooth and protein-rich material will be presented on the catwalks.

This bird from the petrel family is so trusting that it deservedly received such an unusual name for birds - a silly. However, despite their naivety and completely harmless appearance, silly chicks (lat. Fulmarus glacialis) often behave in the most disgusting way.

These northern birds living in Okhotsk, Barents Seas and in the cold waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. He took as a basis a sample found on one of the islands of the polar archipelago of Svalbard. Outwardly, fulmars resemble seagulls, but their closest relatives are petrels.

shetlandpetrels.blogspot.com

Looking at the white and fluffy silly chicks, you can’t say that they are actually very unpleasant creatures. As soon as someone disturbs the peace of a newly hatched chicken, a fetid stream immediately flies out of its small beak, smelling of rotten fish. And it doesn't matter who caused the disturbance - a real predator or a random passerby. In any case, the poor fellow will be doused with the contents of the chick's stomach, and the unbearable stench will haunt him for a very long time.

However, persistent odor is not the biggest problem for the victim if that victim is a bird. The foul-smelling liquid has an oily texture and sticks together the feathers of birds, making it impossible for them to fly. A bird leaving an unpleasant place is also unaware that, having fallen into the water, it will not be able to swim and will drown, since the sticky liquid has deprived its feathers of another quality - buoyancy. Silly chicks are a vivid example of how deceptive even the most pleasant appearance can be.

Dwarf sperm whales (lat. Kogia breviceps) - creatures little studied and rarely seen by scientists. This is largely due to the fact that they almost do not rise to the surface of the water and spend their whole lives at a depth of 400 meters to a kilometer. Their element is the warm tropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. How many pygmy sperm whales plow the ocean depths is unknown.

Adult pygmy sperm whales grow up to 2.8-3.2 meters and weigh an average of 300-400 kilograms. These underwater inhabitants are so mysterious that scientists collect information about their habits and lifestyle bit by bit by studying individuals caught in fishing nets. For small sperm whales, this often ends in failure, because in captivity they do not live and die within two to three days.

However, during rare encounters with pygmy sperm whales, biologists were able to see and capture on film their unique predator defense mechanism. The frightened pygmy sperm whale, which does not have such an impressive size and formidable appearance as its giant relatives, did not think of anything better than releasing a wide stream of feces into the offender.

To enhance the effect produced, the usually phlegmatic sperm whale begins to actively swing its fins, turning the jet into a cloud of dark brown liquid, spreading in different directions. But he is not limited to this, and, while running away, he continues to vigorously throw his "shells" at the predator pursuing him. Dolphins and sharks get the most natural enemies dwarf sperm whales.

This slippery-looking spotted inhabitant of the coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans- one of the most unusual representatives of the underwater fauna. Leopard sea cucumber (lat. Bohadschia argus) lives at shallow depths, from 3 to 37 meters, and is known for living in close partnership with small, nimble fish from the Carapus family. Their friendship is so close that one and a half dozen carapaces live and feel great inside one cucumber about 40 centimeters long. They get inside their mate through the anus or, more rarely, through the mouth.

But to deal with the enemy more seriously, the leopard cucumber has a very unpleasant-looking way in stock. When encountering a predator, the sea cucumber turns its insides out through the anus. Such an unexpected reincarnation terrifies the attacker, and he tries to get out as quickly as possible. In some types of sea cucumbers, along with the insides, a poisonous liquid is released that burns the opponent.

Wolfgang Poelzer

Sometimes in the heat of battle a sea cucumber can discard bits of your own intestines. It sounds incredible, but for him the loss of a vital organ is a trifle, which he copes with in just six weeks. That's how long it takes a sea cucumber to regenerate lost parts.

Miniature horned lizard (lat. Phrynosoma cornutum), which lives in the hot deserts of Texas, Colorado and Arizona and looks more like a tiny dragon, has acquired several ways of protection at once. So to speak, for all occasions.

The most important defense mechanism is disguise. Its nimble gray-brown body, only 8-12 centimeters long, covered with spikes and dark spots, is very difficult to see against the background of rocky soil or sand dunes. However, seeing is not the same as catching. Sensing danger, the horned lizard freezes in place, pretending to be a stone. If this maneuver does not help either, the fugitive begins to randomly rush from side to side, then stopping abruptly, then quickly running away, trying to confuse the pursuer.

Having met a too persistent predator, the horned lizard uses its most frightening weapon called "". Forced to defend itself, the lizard blocks the blood flow in the head, as a result of which the pressure in the capillaries around its eyes rises sharply. The vessels burst, and the blood shoots into the offender. Such a sight cools the hunter's ardor, and, despite the hunger, he leaves the failed prey alone.

In addition, the blood of the lizard itself is very unpleasant in taste, but only feline or canine predators can feel it. Birds do not even know about this, so when meeting with them, horned lizards use one of the two tricks they have in stock. They inflate their torso, trying to appear larger and convince the enemy that he will not be able to swallow them, or arch their neck, exposing all their dragon spikes upwards.

An ordinary-looking beetle with blue wings shimmering in the sun and a dark red body, in fact, a malicious devourer cereal crops And headache all those responsible for the preservation of wheat, oat, rye, barley and corn crops in Europe, Asia and, for some time now, the United States. The gluttonous larvae of the red-breasted leech (lat. Oulema melanopus) gnaw longitudinal grooves in young leaves, turning them into small lifeless skeletons.

The transparent jelly-like cocoon in which the growing larvae wrap themselves is nothing but their own excrement. The larvae are sure that in such a peculiar package, reminiscent of bird droppings, they will be relatively safe: there are not many who want to taste such a repulsive delicacy.